MelodiousThunk
Joined: Feb 11, 2023
Posts: 10
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Posted on Apr 07 2025 03:02 PM
I am in need of an amp for surf guitar and would really appreciate some input. I currently own a SurfyBear Classic and a SurfyMan. I have been contemplating purchasing either a Quilter 202 and BlockDock 15 or a Fender Chris Stapleton '62 Princeton. The amp would be mostly used at home and in the studio. But there is a chance that I may play a few gigs here and there. I would love to hear some opinions on which would be a better setup. Thanks in advance!
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edwardsand
Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 799
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Posted on Apr 07 2025 07:09 PM
Those are two different extremes in terms of loudness. The Quilter is more than you'll ever need at home and plenty suitable for a gig, whereas the Stapleton Princeton is great for playing at home but not likely loud enough for a gig (and certainly not if you want a loud clean sound, as cranking it up much brings on the overdrive).
That being said, I built an 6G2 Princeton that is in a cabinet with a 12" speaker, so it's pretty much the same as the Stapleton amp, and I find it to make wonderful sounds. You are likely finding yourself wanting to play it all the time. I'd totally recommend it.
And since you've got the Surfyman, if you ever do play gigs, just borrow any loud amp that has an effects return and plug the Surfyman into it (see the ongoing discussion of the Surfyman pedal). You'd be using the Surfyman as your preamp, and just using the amp to make it louder.
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TallTenor
Joined: Nov 30, 2022
Posts: 79
Coast of the Great Lakes
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Posted on Apr 07 2025 08:18 PM
I’d vote for the block dock 15 and the Quilter 101. Kind of an in between, although the Princeton has its own uniqueness.
I think a 15” is perfect for surf tones and that speaker is really great. I rarely push my Tone Block 202 past 50W through that same cabinet and we’re fairly loud.
— Kitten and The Tonics
https://kittenandthetonics.com/
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MelodiousThunk
Joined: Feb 11, 2023
Posts: 10
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Posted on Apr 07 2025 08:50 PM
Those are two different extremes in terms of loudness. The Quilter is more than you'll ever need at home and plenty suitable for a gig, whereas the Stapleton Princeton is great for playing at home but not likely loud enough for a gig (and certainly not if you want a loud clean sound, as cranking it up much brings on the overdrive).>
I am not too concerned about the clean headroom. I played through a Chris Stapleton '62 Princeton with a band the other day and it was plenty loud. If for some reason I needed it any louder, I would just mic it.
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MelodiousThunk
Joined: Feb 11, 2023
Posts: 10
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Posted on Apr 07 2025 09:01 PM
I’d vote for the block dock 15 and the Quilter 101. Kind of an in between, although the Princeton has its own uniqueness.
I think a 15” is perfect for surf tones and that speaker is really great. I rarely push my Tone Block 202 past 50W through that same cabinet and we’re fairly loud.>
I’ve owned both 101 and 202 in the past. I much preferred the 202. So it would be the 202 or the Princeton.
Last edited: Apr 07, 2025 21:02:11
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MelodiousThunk
Joined: Feb 11, 2023
Posts: 10
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Posted on Apr 07 2025 09:44 PM
I think the Princeton sounds absolutely glorious. That being said, I think that the 202 through the 15 with the Surfy Industries accoutrements would also sound great. As much as I have always been a tube amp snob, once I played through my first Quilter, I had to reevaluate. I also quite like the near indestructibility and zero upkeep of the Quilter gear.
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ElectricLimnology
Joined: Nov 20, 2017
Posts: 113
Southeast MIchigan
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Posted on Apr 08 2025 10:36 AM
It seems like all I do on this forum is promote Quilter and I'm going to do it again. I'm seven or eight years into playing their amps and the 202 is a guitar amplification revelation. I play a lot. The reliability and flexibility of the amplifier continues to impress me. At the most basic level the ability to have real tone at controlled volume and a direct out are what it's all about. It allows me to get down to the business of playing my guitar and making music on any situation without being distracted by constant technical problems. My Quilter does not need to warm up, does not sag and tubes do not suddenly go microphonic while I drive to the gig. If the other guitar player wants to do something weird with his tone I can easily refocus my sound within the band. I have precise control of my sound. Although essentially voiced as a Fender black face-ish amplifier the 202 is not a one trick pony. I use it to conjure a range of tones.
The Chris Stapleton '62 Princeton is probably a fine amplifier but it's really just a way for Fender to resell the same thing again. It's 2025. There are new ways to do things.
Do not be seduced by the cache of old fashioned stuff. If you want to get down to making music, go with the Quilter 202.
— The Vicissitones
Diesel Marine
The Rasputones
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AgentClaret
Joined: Jan 30, 2024
Posts: 148
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Posted on Apr 08 2025 12:22 PM
How about the Aviator combos? All I ever see you guys talk about is the Toneblocks!
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TallTenor
Joined: Nov 30, 2022
Posts: 79
Coast of the Great Lakes
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Posted on Apr 09 2025 06:17 PM
ElectricLimnology wrote:
It seems like all I do on this forum is promote Quilter and I'm going to do it again. I'm seven or eight years into playing their amps and the 202 is a guitar amplification revelation. I play a lot. The reliability and flexibility of the amplifier continues to impress me. At the most basic level the ability to have real tone at controlled volume and a direct out are what it's all about. It allows me to get down to the business of playing my guitar and making music on any situation without being distracted by constant technical problems. My Quilter does not need to warm up, does not sag and tubes do not suddenly go microphonic while I drive to the gig. If the other guitar player wants to do something weird with his tone I can easily refocus my sound within the band. I have precise control of my sound. Although essentially voiced as a Fender black face-ish amplifier the 202 is not a one trick pony. I use it to conjure a range of tones.
The Chris Stapleton '62 Princeton is probably a fine amplifier but it's really just a way for Fender to resell the same thing again. It's 2025. There are new ways to do things.
Do not be seduced by the cache of old fashioned stuff. If you want to get down to making music, go with the Quilter 202.
Im in agreement. Definitely a tone maker made EASY. A huge surprise.
I saw The Vicissitones played with our friends The Hi-Views. We should do a triple threat gig! We play with Jeff and crew every so often.
— Kitten and The Tonics
https://kittenandthetonics.com/
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edwardsand
Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 799
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Posted on Apr 09 2025 08:24 PM
I'm a fan of a number of solid state amps, and while I've never played a Quilter, I would be happy to give one a try. And given all the positive reports I've seen in the Gear forum, I expect I'd like them and probably be happy to gig with one.
On the other hand, the OP said the Stapleton Princeton "sounds absolutely glorious." That would be a big reason to go with that - if you really love the sound it makes, it's going to make you happy to play and probably motivate you to play more often. So the best option would be to test out the Quilter set up and see how inspiring that sounds and feels - if it sounds glorious, too, then you could go with that.
Or get both...
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MelodiousThunk
Joined: Feb 11, 2023
Posts: 10
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Posted on Apr 09 2025 11:08 PM
I am leaning towards the Quilter. I previously had a 202 with a 12” and a 101 with a 10”. Both setups were great for the jazz that I was playing. I think that the 202 with the 15”, SurfyMan and SurfyBear would most likely sound quite good. I suppose that I could always pick up a ‘62 Princeton Reissue later. On a side note, I was able to play a vintage ‘62 Princeton earlier today. The reissue was very obviously louder and had much more bass. They really do sound quite different from one another.
Last edited: Apr 09, 2025 23:09:11
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taijiguy
Joined: Mar 27, 2006
Posts: 213
Newington, CT USA
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Posted on Apr 10 2025 06:56 AM
Fender Deluxe Reverb with a Weber Neomag speaker. All-in-one, light weight, sounds great.
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ElectricLimnology
Joined: Nov 20, 2017
Posts: 113
Southeast MIchigan
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Posted on Apr 10 2025 09:14 AM
TallTenor wrote:
ElectricLimnology wrote:
It seems like all I do on this forum is promote Quilter and I'm going to do it again. I'm seven or eight years into playing their amps and the 202 is a guitar amplification revelation. I play a lot. The reliability and flexibility of the amplifier continues to impress me. At the most basic level the ability to have real tone at controlled volume and a direct out are what it's all about. It allows me to get down to the business of playing my guitar and making music on any situation without being distracted by constant technical problems. My Quilter does not need to warm up, does not sag and tubes do not suddenly go microphonic while I drive to the gig. If the other guitar player wants to do something weird with his tone I can easily refocus my sound within the band. I have precise control of my sound. Although essentially voiced as a Fender black face-ish amplifier the 202 is not a one trick pony. I use it to conjure a range of tones.
The Chris Stapleton '62 Princeton is probably a fine amplifier but it's really just a way for Fender to resell the same thing again. It's 2025. There are new ways to do things.
Do not be seduced by the cache of old fashioned stuff. If you want to get down to making music, go with the Quilter 202.
Im in agreement. Definitely a tone maker made EASY. A huge surprise.
I saw The Vicissitones played with our friends The Hi-Views. We should do a triple threat gig! We play with Jeff and crew every so often.
Hey! Nice to meet you! I am aware of your band. Let's put something together. Look for a DM.
I was looking at this thread with the intention of mentioning the guy in The Hi-Views. The Vicissitones played with them recently and the guitar player gets a beautiful tone from one of those wee Quilter Superblocks. His sound really is one of the best live guitar tones I've heard in a while and he's just a regular guy like me.
— The Vicissitones
Diesel Marine
The Rasputones
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4535
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Apr 10 2025 10:00 AM
The Stapleton Princeton is one of the best sounding amps I’ve ever played. I have a Winfield Tremor, which is basically the same circuit, and it’s a perfect way to get the basic brown panel sound, at reasonable volume levels. At roughly 12 watts, it would ok for small venues, or mic’d through the PA, but without the PA, you are definitely limited to smaller rooms.
The Quilter is the solid state solution of choice, and with a Surfy Bear and a Surfy Man, you’d be prepared for almost anything. For most larger gigs, there’s usually a PA so you may not ever need the headroom of the Quilter.
I think it comes down to a realistic assessment of your needs.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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edwardsand
Joined: Jun 29, 2018
Posts: 799
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Posted on Apr 10 2025 06:39 PM
Of course, the Stapleton 6G2 has a 12" speaker while the original 6G2 has a 10" speaker, so you're definitely going to have a difference in bass response and perhaps a bit more volume with the Stapleton. The 6G2 I built has a 12" vintage Oxford speaker (12T6), and it's a wonderful combination and so perhaps more akin to the Stapleton 6G2. I could likely get more volume with a newer, more efficient speaker, but I don't need that now and why bother when it sounds so good.
I've also built an AB763 single channel Deluxe Reverb (without tremolo), and so if I need volume, I'm covered. It's crazy loud in comparison.
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